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Hello everyone. This is Mina, the blog manager of "A Porsche Came to My House".I interviewed him before.Long-established manufacturer of body and auto body coversNakabayashi Industry Co.We recently had a Panamera body cover made by bringing in an actual car at This time, we made a specialI received permission to photograph the process from taking measurements to creating the body cover.I would like to report on the situation at the

1. What is "Bring Your Own Vehicle Measurement"?

Free body cover gift!

I had ordered Nakabayashi Kogyo body covers for my Porsche 981 Boxster GTS and Mercedes-Benz SL500 (R129).My husband, who usually has a dry reputation, raves about it.The company was

Then I'll order a Panamera body cover too!"

When we contacted the company, we were told that there is no mold yet at Nakabayashi Kogyo because it is a new model after a full model change.

Nakabayashi Kogyo currently has about 3,000 types of body cover molds, but naturally there are some car models for which no molds are available. Therefore, if you bring in a relatively new car model that has undergone a full model change or an actual car model of your choice designated by Nakabayashi Kogyo, the company will be able to provide you with the molds for your desired car model.As a thank you for your cooperation in taking measurements, you will receive the first body cover as a free gift.The company is supposed to be(If you do not need the gift of a body cover, you can get a VJA gift card worth 10,000 yen on the day of completion.)

Photos of the actual car and after the cover was installed will be published later as "Nakabayashi Kogyo's Production Journal.Socialist Republic of China (until 1996, became the Democratic People's Republic of China from 1996)Published in.

The first body cover is yours for free."This is a very attractive offer, so we decided to gladly bring our actual car to the show.

Three courses for bringing in the actual vehicle

In bringing in the actual vehicle, one of the following three courses must be selected.

1) One-day finishing course
This course allows you to bring in your car at 9:00 a.m. on a weekday morning and complete the work in one day. Recommended for those coming from far away.
(2) Course divided by several times
This course takes about 40 minutes per session, and you bring your car in 3 to 5 times or more (average is 4 times) until the mold is completed. recommended for those who have difficulty leaving their car for a day, or for those who live nearby.
(3) Overnight stay course
A course in which the car is left for 24 hours or more and picked up again the next day (or the day after that). This is the most recommended course because it allows Nakabayashi Kogyo to spend sufficient time to achieve a good mold.

By the way.(3) "Overnight stay course"selected.

Regarding bringing in the actual vehicle, gasoline and transportation costs from home to Nakabayashi Kogyo and back are actual expenses, but a loaner vehicle can be rented while the vehicle is left with the company.(Nakabayashi Industries will pay for the gasoline for the loaner car.)

Why bother to bring in the actual car?

At first, however, I was honestly surprised that they would go to the trouble of bringing in an actual car. Bringing in an actual car isCoordinating the schedules of both parties, arranging for loaner vehicles, the time required to make samples, and securing the necessary personnel to do so.and so on, which is time-consuming for both the owner who brings in the car and for Nakabayashi Industries.

Furthermore, if you leave your car overnight, no matter how careful you are with it.The car will be scratched or stolen."The risk is not zero.

Also, even though our Panamera is a fully remodeled car, its body size and design have not changed that much from its predecessor. Therefore"Wouldn't it be enough if we built the car based on the previous generation's model, checking the size of the car in the manufacturer's catalogs, etc.?"I honestly thought.

When I asked Mr. Nakagawa, the president of the company, about this, he responded as follows.

Certainly, taking measurements by bringing in the actual vehicle is time-consuming. However, the most important role of the body cover isProtect the vehicle."To achieve this, we believe it is necessary to carefully create body covers based on our own manufacturing methods and senses in front of actual vehicles, rather than calculating data from manufacturers' catalogs. To achieve this, we believe it is necessary to carefully create body covers based on our own manufacturing methods and senses in front of actual vehicles, rather than calculating data from manufacturers' catalog values. In fact, all of our current patterns are based on actual vehicles.Unless we meet the actual car, we can't produce a cover for it."

And.

I see... This is the pride of a manufacturing company.

However, the current acceptance of body cover measurements by bringing in actual vehicles is very popular, so they have temporarily suspended the program. The plan is to resume the program at the beginning of the new year.

2. Day of measurement

Heading to Nakabayashi Industries in the morning.

So finally, on the morning of the day, I headed to Nakabayashi Industries in my Panamera. The forecast for the day was for a full day of sunshine. I was thinking that if it rained before we got there, it would be a hassle to wipe off the rainwater after we arrived, so I was relieved to see the weather clear.

Nakabayashi Kogyo's company and factory is located about three minutes off the Habikino Interchange on the Minami Hanna Road. We arrived there without any particular difficulty, and when we went inside, we found many cardboard boxes of body covers waiting to be shipped.

The company has been inundated with orders for body covers due to the large typhoon that hit the area this September, and it has not been able to keep up with the shipping schedule.(Should have calmed down by the time this article is published)

Then, after greeting Mr. Nakagawa and his employees, I was first handed three documents.

The first one is.Dear customers who came to our office for measurements.This means that it contains precautions regarding bringing in the actual vehicle, the estimated time required for taking and making measurements, etc.

On the back, there's even information on sightseeing in the area for those on the one-day finishing course! How kind of them!

And the second one is a consent form.

Mr. Nakagawa says.I didn't have a consent form initially, but people around me advised me to have one, so I did, just in case."and that the company is willing to do so. The consent form states.

(2) The measurements are taken so as not to touch the body of the car as much as possible, but some parts of the body may be touched.
The process of taking measurements and the post-completion state will be posted on the "Minkara" blog after the photos are taken.
If the car has scratches from the start, please check and inform us in advance.
Prior notice must be given in case of work extensions.

The book included such items as the following.

The third sheet is an application form for a loaner car. This form is, of course, a document given only to those who need a loaner car.

Step 1: Measurements

After reviewing and signing the documents, the measurements began immediately. There were several sheets of paper for me to fill out detailing the size of the vehicle.

The measurements were taken by two staff members, and Mr. Nakagawa wrote down the values. Both Mr. Nakagawa and the staff were in a serious mode, so I kept my mouth shut while observing the process.

What surprised me as I watched the work was the detail of the measurements.What? You have to measure all of that? We measure more than 30 to 40 points in total!He says he will do it.

However, since everyone was familiar with each other's hands and breathing perfectly, the measurement process itself was completed in about five minutes.

Step2. Sample making (1st time)

After the measurements were taken, the first sample was made. Normally, it takes 30 to 40 minutes for cutting and 30 minutes for sewing, and the finished product takes about one and a half hours.(predecessor))We were provided with a sample of the(The fabric is wrinkled because it is a sample that was previously made and stored, but the original fabric is said to be more beautiful.)

I immediately put the sample body cover on my car...

It will look something like this.

Step3. Pen insertion

Mr. Nakagawa carefully checks the tightness and looseness of the body covering.

From a layman's point of view, it seemed that this 970 pattern paper would be perfect, so I said, "This is totally fine, but...," and Mr. Nakagawa saidNo, not at all.A word of advice.

For example...you see a deflection here. If rainwater or dust collects here, the weight of it will cause the fabric to deteriorate and damage your car."

Also, the hood and rear area are a little pinched. If you don't give a little more room in these areas, it will put a strain on the car. Also, the position of the mirrors seems to be slightly different between the previous model and the new model. This also needs to be fixed."

I was not at all bothered by it, just thinking, "Well, if you put it that way, maybe..." But at this stage, it seemed that we were still far from the goal that Mr. Nakagawa was aiming for.

Then, where corrections are needed.Cut this much for this part."The penning process will be performed to indicate that the

Incidentally, since this penning is only a minimal marking, it is said to have absolutely no effect on the body. After all the checks are completed, the body cover is removed from the body again.

Step4. Sample making (2nd time)

Then, untie all the perforations on the body cover, once and for all. "Oh, you want to untie all of them? You want me to untie all the perforations? I was surprised.Yes, I will untie everything and correct the areas that have been penciled in."Mr. Nakagawa said.

The fabric is cut and modified according to the instructions, such as "cut this much," and then sewn again, this time for about 30 minutes.

andWe put it over the car again, check it, pen it again, untie it, correct it, sew it... and repeat the process, usually two or three times.They say this adjustment takes a considerable amount of time.

He said that some of the molds are made with a single snap, but that this is rare.

incidentally"Okay, that's it! Let's do this!"The final decision as to whether or not to accept the new system will be made by Mr. Nakagawa, the president of the company.

Even if the dimensions are right and everyone says it's fine," he says, "if it doesn't feel right to me, I'll do it again and again until it does. But if I don't feel right with it, I will redo it again and again until it feels right.

This was the case.

Amazing...

Nevertheless, the mold is said to be relatively easy to determine in the case of Porsche.I wrote about it in a previous interview.However, Porsche's design is natural and without any overstraining, so no major modification work is required.

→directional marker or indicator[next page] The next day, the perfect body cover was finally completed!